Commissioners approve routine contract renewals and service agreements including tax-collection contracts, senior meals and extension-service staffing

Columbia County commissioners approved a series of routine contracts and renewals on the meeting’s consent agenda, including tax-collection agreements, senior‑center meal purchases, extension‑service staffing reimbursements and miscellaneous facility and promotional contracts.

County staff presented continuation contracts that allow the county tax commissioner to collect taxes for municipalities and the Board of Education under Georgia law for counties with 50,000 or more residents. Staff said the existing contracts had expired in 2024 and recommended 10‑year extensions with collection rates of 2% for the cities of Harlem and Grovetown and 2.25% for the Board of Education. Staff noted each municipality and the Board of Education must accept the county’s offer to continue collections.

On human services, staff recommended renewing the agreement with the sheriff’s office for purchase of senior-center meals, both home-delivered and congregate; staff said the price will remain $3 per meal and that the county serves over 50,000 meals annually. The board moved and approved the item on consent.

Other consent items approved included a $240,988 contract with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension for extension‑service personnel (the amount was included in the FY26 budget), renewal of the Convention and Visitors Bureau contract to promote tourism, a renewal of the Columbia County Cares lease for the Appling building (lease amount not specified in the discussion), and a contract with Bliss Products and Services for replacement shade structures at Patriots Park in the amount of $141,566 (insurance coverage to be determined), among other routine renewals and consent items.

These items were moved, seconded and approved on the consent calendar. The transcript shows motions and seconds but does not record roll-call vote tallies for these items.